Lafayette Elementary School
Tuesday Bulletin
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Jan. 12, 2016          Teresa G. Gionis, Editor
Mark Your Calendar


 
Jan 14
HSA General Meeting-7:00 pm

Jan 18
No School - MLK Day

Jan 19
HSA Board Meeting-6:30 pm


Jan 22
Spelling Bee-9:00 am
Early Dismissal-12:15 pm
 
  
From the HSA  

Hello Lafayette Families  -

We hope everyone is back in full swing of their school and work schedules as we enter the second week of the New Year!

We invite you to join us on Thursday night (January 14th) in the Big Top Tent for two very important events going on the same night & time: 

  • 6:30pm - Snacks and Babysitting Available, 7pm - The HSA is hosting Small Group Budget Discussions and we want you to join us.  We plan to discuss budget items for Lafayette's DCPS & HSA budgets.  This year we are coordinating our efforts (school & HSA) as we plan for School Year 2016-2017.  Don't miss this great opportunity to talk with other parents and our LSAT Parent Representatives.
  • 7pm - 1st Annual Lafayette Summer Camp Fair - we are expecting 18 local camps on Thursday night from 7-9pm! This is your chance to talk with camp directors, counselors and find out more about all of the wonderful Summer Camp opportunities that are available for our children - a must see!
Reminder - with colder temperatures, we ask that all families make an extra effort to leave the house a little earlier in the mornings. 
The Drop-Off Lane has been extra busy and our goal is to accommodate everyone - some days we have close to 100 cars go through the line!  Please allow enough time for either the Drop-Off Lane or parking in the neighborhood.  We have lots of families going to the same spot at one time - let's be considerate of each other. please see our reminders below.

As always - we thank you for your continued support of Lafayette & the HSA.

Stay warm!
Janine & Shannon 


Galley Selling Dinners at HSA Meeting

Galley will be selling meals before the Lafayette HSA meeting this Thursday at 6:30, and 20% of all proceeds will go back to the school. 

Galley delivers fresh, chef-made meals to your door, ready for you to warm, plate, and serve for a restaurant-caliber dining experience.
 

 
 
IT'S ALMOST TIME TO BOOGIE! 

On March 12, 2016, the Wilson High School atrium will be transformed into a boogie wonderland you won't want to miss! That's right, the 2016 Lafayette Annual Auction Party is going retro. Tickets will be available for purchase online soon, but in the meantime please save the date and sign up to volunteer for this fun event!
 
Auction co-chairs, Jane Ellis and Ellen Root are seeking help to make Lafayette's disco inferno a reality! Please contact Jane Ellis or Ellen Root to sign up for what is sure to be a fun volunteer gig. It's a great way to get involved, meet parents and raise money for our school.   
 
We also appreciate your ideas for great auction items - we are looking for vacation homes, sports tickets, party ideas and one of a kind experiences for children and adults.   Any and all excellent ideas and offers are welcome - send to Jane and Ellen.  We appreciate your support and look forward to the great annual Lafayette tradition. 

Drop-off Lane Reminders

Chilly temperatures, mean higher car volume in the Drop-off Lane. All welcome to use, but we need your help please, here are a few reminders:
  • Drop-off Lane opens at 8:20am
  • Please have children ready to exit your vehicle when you pull up - backpacks, lunch boxes ready to go, children on the passenger/curb side of vehicle
  • Please make sure you enter the Drop-off Lane above Quesada Street as this keeps the flow of the one way traffic moving
  • Drop-off Lane will close promptly at 8:40am (school begins at 8:45am)
  • Please allow additional time in the morning if you are using the Drop-off Lane, especially during inclement weather
  • We rely on parent volunteers to help, please sign up for a shift. We appreciate your help!

Many thanks for your support!

The Drop-off Lane Squad


 
 
2nd Grade Parents Needed for Car Pool Line

Second grade has been assigned to help with the car pool line in front of the school entrance street during the month of January. A few slots have been filled but there are many days that are open. If you could please consider doing even one day, it would be a huge help to our entire school community. The time commitment is really short - 8:25 to 8:45 (and Dr. Broquard has asked us to stop at 8:45 on the dot). All you have to do is open car doors, help children out, and keep the line moving. It is an easy and quick way to contribute to our school that is really appreciated. 
Please sign up here
 

 
Gardening News gardening From
Nurse Cockrell

Did you know we have a vegetable garden at Lafayette inspite of construction, trailers, and cold weather?  Have your kids mentioned taste-testing fresh veggies in the Nurse's office?
 
Lafayette purchased a Tower Garden through a Wellness grant last year, in anticipation of this year's renovation.  As its name suggests, it is a tower of plants, watered by a pump, and fed by plant food instead of soil.  It requires greenhouse lights if used indoors, but the result is very fast growth of edible
fruits and vegetables.
 
Thanks to the generosity of the HSA, several staff got trained on background, mechanics, and uses for our new indoor garden; it has been up and running since September, with a second crop of kale, spinach, chives and cilantro now on its way! 
 
Because the garden can move from classroom to classroom easily on wheels, the teachers "adopt" it for lessons.For example, in Mr. King's 2nd grade class, the garden became an example of "Then and Now", or the scientific advances in gardening, land use, and global nutrition.  Ms. Nickel's class used it to stimulate
discussion about healthy eating and urban, roof-top and apartment gardens.
 
The Kindergarden classes will make a "Parts of the Plant Salad" by harvesting the celery (stems), kale (leaves), cauliflower (flowers), and fruit (tomatoes).  We will then make a yummy dressing using the cilantro and chives, while teaching about flavors other than salt
 
Pre-K has been learning to identify the different shapes, textures, and flavors of the leaves.  The children measure the leaves with rulers to compare size and readiness for harvest. Plus, there is just something special about making and eating anything directly from the garden!  So while we await our beautiful outdoor classroom garden planned for Fall 2016, we are having a great time with this one.
 
Come visit the Tower Garden today! It lives in Nurse Cockrell's office, E-100; Available for a look or a taste between the hours of 8 and 4:30 M-F.


 
From the Library

We had another very successful Scholastic book fair. Our sales were over $11,000 and we have $5,857 in Scholastic dollars to spend. Of that, I used $2,000 to purchase books from the book fair. I want to thank all the volunteers who came to help run the cash registers. We couldn't do this without your generous gift of time and effort. I really want to thank all of the students here at Lafayette who every year come with money from their parents and with their own savings to purchase books and goodies here at the book fair. 

This year like every year I saw unconditional generosity and kindness from your children. For example, if a student doesn't have any money, your children immediately help that student out, by giving leftover dollars and pooling their money for the benefit of another child. I saw it every day of the fair.
 
I am going to create a small maker space in the library. Maker spaces are becoming popular in public and school libraries now. Since it is a small space, I thought a Lego table or a puzzle table would be a good start. If you have a puzzle or a Legos that you would like to donate to us, please drop them off  at the library.
 
I am keeping the library open every other week during all recesses (A week) and on (B week), This week, I will be open until I go to the cafeteria for my duty. The library is still open at 8 am before school and after school for students to check out or return books.

 
 
Lafayette Give Back

Thank you to everyone who donated baby carriers to Syrian refugees prior to the break! We had a great response, and they've already been sent off to Carry the Future, a non-profit organization that will distribute them to Syrian refugees in Greece.  Due to continued interest, we're extending the collection through Friday, January 29th. If you have a baby carrier in good condition that you are no longer using, please consider dropping it in the collection bin, located in the administrative office. We're also collecting Kind bars, baby food pouches (the soft kind, no glass containers), and hand-written notes for the refugees, which can be placed in the baby carrier bin as well. Thank you! For questions please contact Jamie Davis Smith or Katie Burke.


Community


Lafayette Indoor Winter Tennis Still Has Space
Everyone had fun at the indoor tennis last week in the Chevy Chase Community Center (CCCC) at Connecticut Ave and McKinley St. NW. We only have classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 3:30 and 4:30.  We will be limited to 10 tennis players per class hour using 2 mini-nets in the game room on the lower level. Have your tennis players join in the fun if they  didn't win the lottery for one of those coveted LEP classes.  We go until March 25 (Good Friday before DCPS Spring Break).  The fee is now $275 which includes the CCCC room rental. There is a 10% discount for additional siblings. Scholarship requests will be considered.  
 We will be blending beginner and advanced beginner players.  Following are the class groupings:
 Day                        3:30                      4:30
Wednesday             5-6 (5)                    7-10 (5)
Thursday                 5-6 (5)                    7-10 (5)
Friday                     5-6 (5)                    7-10 (5)
 
For the Lafayette School players, Syd and I will be able to collect the kids at 3:15 for the 3:30 classes and take them to theChevy Chase Community Center in our van and SUV.  But the parents and caregivers will have to pick them up at 4:30 at the CCCC.  The 4:30 tennis players will have to be brought to the CCCC. 
 
Please check www.LafayetteTennis.org for space availability progress.  I will try to update it as promptly as possible.  I will keep a waiting list in case there are last minute changes.
 
If you have any questions, you can always call me at 202 441-0925 or email me at [email protected].  Thanks for your support. - Paul Rosenbaum

The Children's Art Studio will offer classes this Winter on Tuesday afternoons; January 19th - March 8th.  The cost for the eight week session is $250.  Please select a class, then email to save a spot: [email protected]
4:00 - 5:00 Introduction to Art Making  for Lower Elementary School Children (PK, K)
5:15 - 6:15 Drawing and Painting for Upper Elementary School will take place at Capital Memorial Church on Chesapeake Street in Forest Hills.  Small class size, thoughtful instruction and the inventive use of high quality materials is what it is all about.  We hope your child will join us!



 
Thank You Lafayette Sponsors!
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our very generous Annual Sponsors for 2015-2016, your continued support is amazing!  
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